newsminer.com

FAIRBANKS — The deadline to register to vote in the Aug. 26 primary election arrives Sunday.

The process for registering is simple: An application must be filled out and postmarked or received by Sunday. Mickey Speegle, the Fairbanks regional election office supervisor, said the office would be open this weekend. The elections office is located on 675 Seventh Ave. in Suite H3 and will be open on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and on Sunday from noon to 4 p.m.

“If anyone has questions about whether they’re registered or not, they can call our office,” Speegle said.

To vote, a person must be a U.S. citizen and at least 18 years of age. The state of Alaska has the additional requirements that each voter be a resident of Alaska for at least 30 days before the election, have registered before the election registration deadline and not be registered to vote in another jurisdiction, such as another state. If a person has been convicted of a felony, that person can still vote if he or she has been unconditionally discharged from the crime. That person, however, has to include the discharge papers with the voter application to be submitted into the voting pool.

Voter registration applications can be found online and at the district office downtown. Applications can be delivered by hand to the elections office or sent by fax or mail. People interested in registering can fill out the application online, but a hard copy must be sent to the elections office.

People who will not be within the state of Alaska during elections can register for an absentee ballot. The application for an absentee ballot can also be found online, and must be received by the elections office 10 days prior to the election for the ballot to count. All U.S. citizens, whether in the military, an eligible spouse or dependent or regular citizens who are currently living overseas also can send in an absentee ballot and vote as long as they claim residency in Alaska and keep the Elections Office informed about their current address.

Alaska Republicans and Democrats have been publicizing voter registration and throwing soirees to increase the amount of voters in the upcoming elections.

“One of the many efforts of the party to make sure people get out and vote for who they want,” said McHugh Pierre, spokesman for the Republican Party of Alaska. “I haven’t for sure seen an increase or a decrease, but it is exciting.”

The Republican Party is focusing on reaching young adults who have recently reached the legal voting age.

“We are trying to spread the word and we are using YouTube, Facebook and MySpace. We want to make sure that they have an opportunity to learn about the community through means that are familiar to them,” Pierre said.

The Diane Benson campaign is launching a Canvassing Kick-Off in Anchorage and in Fairbanks on Sunday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. to invite Alaskans to register to vote. The Fairbanks event will be held at the Interior Democrats coordinated campaign office at 3354 College Road. According to Phillip Allen, the communications director for the Diane Benson campaign, anyone of any political party is encouraged to sign up. Benson is running for Congress.

“If someone comes up to us asking to sign up to vote, we aren’t going to say no,” Allen said. “We’re going to be accepting people from all districts. Anyone can come down to our office.”